


A Grande Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk

by blueblue1965



Series: coffee shop au [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, don't know how to tag this again, long ass coffee orders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25492396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueblue1965/pseuds/blueblue1965
Summary: Max is used to pretty people coming into the shop. Usually, they don't come back though.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Series: coffee shop au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892128
Comments: 28
Kudos: 135
Collections: Summer Break Fics 2020





	A Grande Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustAnotherF1Fangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherF1Fangirl/gifts).



> I planned something else for this fic exchange and while I loved that idea a lot I struggled to put the words down so I wrote this instead.
> 
> Somehow I liked this idea even more and the words flowed easily so yeah. I had fun while writing this so I hope you enjoy reading this too

The cafe is quiet but it's also Wednesday noon so that is no surprise. Wednesday has always been the most boring day of the week for Max. It's not Monday, neither Friday, it's just some plain, old, boring day in the middle of the week.

It's fair to say Max doesn't expect anything to happen on a Wednesday, which is why he's playing on the phone behind the counter even though Seb already told him multiple times not to do it.

Max doesn't notice the new customer coming in, neither does he notice him approaching the counter. Look, it's not like he's addicted to his phone, he can put it away at any given time, but if that guy sneaks up on him like that, it really is his fault.

"A Grande Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk, please."

Max's head snaps up. He almost drops his phone because of how quickly he's trying to put it away. No need for any customers to see him like that, especially since some assholes love to complain to Seb about it.

It might be too late to be sneaky now, but Max can at least try.

The man on the other side of the counter is wearing sunglasses, which is odd considering it's December. He's also rocking the most amazing curls Max has ever seen and his smile is so bright it could lighten up the whole room.

"Your order will be ready for you in a minute", Max chokes out his usual phrase. His throat is suddenly feeling dry, but he blames it on the fact that he didn't talk for nearly two hours, rather than the fact that the guy in front of him is very much his type.

While making the drink Max's eyes keep wandering back to the man who casually leans against the counter, looking around in the empty shop. 

From what he can tell he has some kind of accent. But then again, Max knows good to nothing about accents so he might as well hear things that aren't there.

What Max does know is that if that guy keeps leaning against the counter like that he might climb over it and kiss him senseless. 

Luckily for him though he is used to attractive people placing fancy orders for pretty Instagram pics and then never showing up again afterwards. He might just about manage the sudden rush of hornyness.

"There you go." He places the order on the counter, collects the money and with a last breathtaking smile and a quick thank you the guy leaves the shop again. 

Max remembers when Lando used to tease him about working at the coffee shop and finding his soulmate. He definitely wouldn't mind his soulmate being this guy, but he's gone now and Max doesn't spare him a second thought. 

Except on the next day, he is back again.

"A Grande Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk please." Same weird drink, same strange accent, same board smile as yesterday.

"Right away." Max puts on his customer-friendly smile but inwardly rolls his eyes. He can't deny that this guy looks hot but he absolutely despises customers who put out orders just for the sake of sounding fancy.

However, this doesn't stop Max from secretly checking the guy out while making his drink. Maybe he is some kind of influencer that likes to show off to a million followers. The guy definitely has the looks for it.

He is once again wearing sunglasses and Max briefly wonders if it is a style choice. It's not like he hasn't seen worse styles than this over the course of the last year.

Once the drink is finished he places it on the counter, collects the money and watches the handsome stranger leave.

This goes on for a week. Same time, every day.

By the end of it, Max has the order ready waiting for the handsome stranger. Although he should maybe ask him for his name and stop calling him a handsome stranger.

"Daniel, but call me Dan", he says after Max asks him, his grin brighter than ever. "What's yours then?"

Max blinks confused and gestures to his name tag. "It's Max."

"Right, I think I was too distracted by your pretty face to notice. See ya tomorrow."

Max is completely stunned as he watches after the handsome stranger- Dan. Did he just flirt with him? More importantly, did he just say he has a pretty face?

When Max reports to Lando about it later, his roommate just laughs and tells him to "go get him, lion."

It's not like Max isn't used to people flirting with him but usually, it's some girls who immediately stop after he gently tells them that he is, in fact, gay.  
It's fair to say Max doesn't know how to handle Dan flirting with him and more often than not he ends up giggling and trying to hide his flush whenever Dan tells him he looks pretty.

 _Come on Max this is not a teenage rom-com_ , he tells himself every time Dan leaves the shop, _try to act like an adult for once in your life._

It's not working.

"Why do you always order the same thing?" Max immediately wants to bury himself after asking this question. It should be pretty obvious why someone always orders the same food (or drink in this case).

"It's tasty." Dan grins. He doesn't seem to mind Max dying of embarrassment in front of him or, if he does, he is nice enough to not say anything. 

Max doesn't know if he's satisfied with this answer. He Obviously can't judge it since he doesn't like drinking coffee himself and he somehow doubts that vanilla makes coffee that much better. Maybe it's the soy milk.

He quickly lets his eyes wander around the shop and when he finds no other customers, he brings his focus back to Dan.

"Are you vegan? Because you don't want actual milk? Or is it a fancy Instagram thing to drink vegan coffee that's also sugar-free?"

Dan throws his head back and laughs. It's loud but Max thinks he might actually get used to it if- wait where did this thought come from?

"No, it's not an Instagram thing, I just have to look after my weight, special diet and stuff."

Max raises an eyebrow and lets his eyes wander over Dan's body.

"Mate you look perfectly fine to me, no need for a diet." That makes Dan laugh even louder and for a moment he looks like he's about to reach out for Max but instead he just runs his hand through his curls.

"I am a driver", he says as if it would magically explain everything. 

Why on earth would anyone need to monitor their weight while driving a car? Max can only stare at him in confusion. 

"Mate I'm pretty sure a car will carry you anyway", he mumbles. 

He watches as Dan leaves with a broad grin and a generous tip. 

***

Max wouldn't say he's grown attached to Dan, because that would just be ridiculous, but he can't deny he's looking forward to talking to him.

Well, it's not much more than small talk, Max doesn't know much about Dan except that he is apparently from Australia, which would explain the accent. 

Most of the time Dan would tell him about something he saw on his way to the coffee shop or Max would complain about rude customers he had. 

It's the end of February and Lando finally managed to convince Max to ask Dan for his number. Except that Dan doesn't show up on this day. 

It is a busy day in the shop and Max only really noticed his absence when his shift ends and the cup with a Grande Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk is still standing on the counter. 

He stares at it for a few seconds, the cup looking as lonely as he feels. In the end, he grabs the cup and pours it down the drain.

Whatever happened today doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe Dan would show up again tomorrow, telling him a story about how he fought a squirrel and that is why he didn't manage to come today.

Perhaps hope is the worst kind of feeling because Dan fails to show up on the next day as well as the day after. After the third day, Max stopped preparing the drink beforehand. 

It's not like he is sad, it's just a disappointing feeling to know that these little conversations meant so much more to Max than they apparently did to Dan. Otherwise, Dan would've told him if he'd moved away, right?

Max can't keep his brain from running though. What if anything happened to Dan? Surely they wouldn't alert his barista then. He shakes his head in an attempt to get rid of these thoughts. 

It's ridiculous, really. Max tries to tell himself that he didn't fall that much for Dan but doesn't manage to convince a little voice in the back of his head.

***

Only in March, when the temperatures slowly start to rise and the sun is actually shining when he's on his way to work, he hears from Dan again. Well, not quite.

Every day on his way to work he passes a little electronic store. Usually, it would show the news on the TV's that are on display. Except for this time. 

Max only catches a glimpse of one of the screens and immediately stops dead in his tracks. It's a small screen and the window reflects too much light to actually make out proper shapes on it, yet the person that is interviewed on the screen is unmistakably _his Dan_.

Dan, who is standing next to an F1 car, in a blue overall, smiling brightly and talking about something Max doesn't understand. 

A small graphic at the bottom helpfully provides him with the name Daniel Ricciardo. 

Max suddenly feels sick in his stomach. Dan, the probably most handsome guy Max has ever met, is actually a racing driver and with that way out of his league. 

Max hopes that in another timeline, he is able to handle this like a real adult. Instead, he locks himself in his room and watches like a hundred Daniel Ricciardo compilations on YouTube. 

When he realises that Dan would flirt with everything remarkably human, he cries in the shower for thirty minutes before stepping out of it and swearing to himself to never spend a thought on Daniel Ricciardo ever again.

***

It's July, the shop is warm, on the verge of actually being too hot, and Max is busy with cleaning some glasses.

There are three students gathered over the place, the occasional shuffling of some papers or the tapping on a keyboard is the only noise that is heard around the shop.

Other than that, it's quiet. Obviously, it's Wednesday, nothing ever happens on a Wednesday. 

Max is debating if he can convince Lando to go to the beach for the weekend. Getting a nice tan, swimming - Max misses the ocean a lot. He is so deep in his thoughts that he doesn't notice the door opening. Neither does he notice the little bell ringing or the guy stepping up to the counter.

"Hey."

His head snaps up and Max finds himself eye to eye with a familiar face. Same dark curls, same smile although this time it looks almost shy. 

The only difference is he isn't wearing sunglasses today, even though now that they would have actually been useful. Instead, Max finds himself lost in bright amber eyes and doesn't want to look at anything else anymore. 

"A Grande Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk and your number please", Dan says.

**Author's Note:**

> It felt right ending it here, I think carrying on with it would've ruined the story. 
> 
> Maybe I'll write a sequel one day (only maybe though).
> 
> I'm blueblue1965 on tumblr x


End file.
